Vibration motor

ABSTRACT

A vibration motor is disclosed. The vibration motor includes a housing, a substrate engaging with the housing, a vibration unit received in the housing, an elastic member suspending the vibration unit, and a coil assembly interacting with the vibration unit. The elastic member includes a second fixing part having a first segment with a first width, a second segment having a second width smaller than the first width for forming a step, and the vibration unit includes a latch corresponding to and engaging with the step for positioning the elastic member.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to vibration motors, and moreparticularly to a vibration motor used in a portable consumer electronicdevice.

BACKGROUND

Consumer products, such as mobile phones and portable multi-mediaplayers, generally include vibrators for generating tactile feedback.For example, a mobile phone has a vibrator for generating vibrationwhile a call is called in, and a portable multi-media player has a touchscreen having vibrators for getting tactile feedback.

A related vibration motor generally includes a magnet assembly and astator assembly. The magnet assembly is generally elastically suspendedin a housing of the vibration motor. Elastic members, such as springs,are used for suspending the magnet assembly. The elastic members areoften soldered to the magnet assembly, and during the soldering process,it is difficult to fix the position of the elastic members.

Therefore, it is desired to provide a new vibration motor which canovercome the aforesaid problem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the embodiment can be better understood with referenceto the following drawings. The components in the drawing are notnecessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed uponclearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover,in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a vibration motor in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an isometric and exploded view of the vibration motor of theexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3a is an isometric view of a first weight of the vibration motor.

FIG. 3b is a top view of the first weight in FIG. 3 a.

FIG. 4a is an isometric view of a second weight of the vibration motor.

FIG. 4b is a front view of the second weight in FIG. 4 a.

FIG. 5 is a top view of an assembly of the second weight, a housing, andelastic members of the vibration motor.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the vibration motor taken along alongitudinal axis thereof, wherein the housing thereof has been removed.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of an assembly of the weight and a coilsupport of the vibration motor.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the vibration motor taken along atransverse axis thereof, wherein the housing thereof has been removed.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of an elastic member of the vibration motor.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along A-A line in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure will be described in detail below with referenceto the attached drawings and an exemplary embodiment thereof.

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, a vibration motor 10 in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a housing 11 anda substrate 12 forming an enclosure of the motor. The housing 11provides protection to other components of the motor, and the substrate12 provides a mounting surface mountable to an external device. Both ofthe housing 11 and the substrate 12 are elongated and have alongitudinal axis and a transverse axis.

Further, the vibration motor 10 includes a first magnet assembly 13, asecond magnet assembly 14, a plurality of elastic members 15, a coilassembly 16, and a flexible printed circuit (FPC) 17. The first magnetassembly 13 and the second magnet assembly 14 form cooperatively avibration unit suspended by the elastic members 15 in the housing 11. Infact, the first magnet assembly 13 and the second magnet assembly 14 areassembled together as a whole for generating vibration by virtue of theelastic support provided by the elastic members 15. The first magnetassembly 13 includes a first weight 131 and a first magnet 132 carriedby the first weight 131. The second magnet assembly 14 includes a secondweight 141 and a second magnet 142 carried by the second weight 141. Thecoil assembly 16 is used for interacting with the first and secondmagnet assemblies 13, 14 for producing Ampere Force to drive thevibration unit to vibrate. The coil assembly 16 includes a coil 161 anda coil support 162 for carrying the coil 161. The FPC 17 is electricallyconnected with the coil 161 of the coil assembly 16 for providingelectrical signals to the coil 161.

Referring to FIGS. 3a-3b , together with FIG. 2, the first weight 131 ofthe first magnet assembly 13 is elongated, corresponding to the shapesof the housing and the substrate. The first weight 131 includes a pairof engagement parts 131 a and a pair of sidewalls 131 c. The engagementparts 131 a respectively connect two ends of the sidewalls 131 c forforming a first through hole 131 b. A width of the engagement part 131 aalong the transverse axis is smaller than a distance between the twosidewalls 131 c along the same direction, thus a plurality of avoidances131 d is accordingly formed.

Referring to FIGS. 4a-4b , together with FIG. 2, the second weight 141is also elongated. The second weight 141 includes a body 141 a and asecond through hole 141 b. The body 141 a forms a first recess 141 drecessed from a lower surface thereof to a first bottom 141 d, and asecond recess 141 e recessed from the first bottom 141 d to a secondbottom 141 f. The second through hole 141 b is form in the second bottom141 f. In addition, the second bottom 141 f further forms a pair ofslots 141 g for engaging with the elastic members 15. And, the slot 141g includes a volume 30. As an improvement, the second weight 141 furtherincludes a pair of pits 141 h each provided at an edge of the secondweight 141.

Referring to FIG. 5, the housing 11 forms a plurality of sides 11 a forforming a receiving space for accommodating necessary componentstherein. The second weight 141 is suspended in the receiving space bythe elastic members 15. As shown in FIG. 5, the elastic member 15includes a first fixing part 151 fixed on one of the sides 11 a of thehousing 11, a second fixing part 152 received in the slot 141 g andfixed to the second weight 141, and an elastic arm 153 connecting thefirst fixing part 151 to the second fixing part 152. By virtue of theelastic members 15, the second weight 141 is capable of vibrating in thehousing along a deforming direction of the elastic arm 153. In thisembodiment, the second weight 141 is capable of vibrating along thetransverse axis X-X. In addition, the volume 30 is recessed toward adirection far away from the second fixing part 152 of the elastic member15 for forming an extra space for a tool to fix the second fixing partto the second weight 141.

Referring to FIG. 6, together with FIGS. 3a, 3b, 4a, and 4b , whileassembled, the engagement parts 131 a of the first weight 131 fixed onthe first bottom 141 d of the second weight 141, the first magnet 132 isreceived in the first through hole 131 b, and the second magnet 142 isreceived in the second through hole 141 b, which cooperatively forms thevibration unit.

Referring to FIGS. 7-8, the coil support 162 includes a lower part 162 amounted on the substrate 12, a middle part 162 b extending verticallyfrom the lower part 162 and an upper part 162 c extending from themiddle part 162 b. The upper part 162 c is substantially parallel to thelower part 162 a. The upper part 162 c further includes a carrying part162 d for carrying the coil 161 thereon. The upper part 162 c is spacedapart from the lower part 162 a by the middle part 162 b for forming anaccommodation space 162 e. While assembled, the first weight 131 isaccommodated in the accommodation space 162 e with the engagement parts131 out of the accommodation space 162 e. Referring FIG. 8, togetherwith FIG. 6, since the first weight 131 is accommodated in theaccommodation space 162 e, the first magnet assembly 13 is also receivedin the accommodation space 162 e with the engagement parts 131 engagedwith the first bottom 141 d of the second weight 141. Thus, when thevibration unit, i.e., the combination of the first magnet assembly andthe second magnet assembly vibrates, the vibration unit could vibratealong the transverse direction X-X with the first magnet assembly 13moving in the accommodation space 162 e. Referring back to FIG. 6, whileassembled, the upper part 162 c and the coil 161 is located in thesecond recess 141 e, and the coil 161 will interact with the firstmagnet 132 and the second magnet 142 for producing Ampere Force to drivethe vibration unit to vibrate. Another word, the coil 161 is locatedbetween the first magnet 132 and the second magnet 142.

Referring back to FIG. 7, the avoidance 131 d of the first weight 131 isarranged corresponding to the middle part 162 b of the coil support 162.While the vibration unit vibrates along the transverse direction X-X,the avoidance 131 d provides an extra space for preventing the firstweight 131 interfering with the middle part 162 b.

Referring to FIGS. 5, and 9-10, the second fixing part 152 of theelastic member 15 further includes a first segment 152 a and a secondsegment 152 b. A width of the first segment 152 a is greater than awidth of the second segment 152 b for accordingly forming a step 152 c.Correspondingly, the second weight 141 includes a latch 146. When theelastic member 15 is assembled with the second weight 141, the latch 146engages with the step 152 c for positioning the position of the elasticmember 15.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerouscharacteristics and advantages of the present embodiment have been setforth in the foregoing description, together with details of thestructures and functions of the embodiment, the disclosure isillustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially inmatters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principlesof the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad generalmeaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vibration motor, comprising: a substrate; a housing engaged with the substrate for forming an enclosure; a first magnet assembly including a first weight and a first magnet assembled with the first weight; a second magnet assembly fixed with the first magnet assembly, the second magnet assembly including a second weight engaging with the first weight of the first magnet assembly and a second magnet assembled with the second weight; an elastic member including a first fixing part connecting to the housing, and a second fixing part connecting to the second weight for suspending the second magnet assembly with the first magnet assembly in the housing; a coil assembly including a coil located between the first magnet assembly and the second magnet assembly, and a coil support carrying the coil, the coil support including a lower part mounted on the substrate, an upper part for carrying the coil, and a middle part spacing the upper part from the lower part, wherein the second fixing part of the elastic member includes a first segment having a first width, a second segment having a second width smaller than the first width for forming a step, and the second weight includes a latch corresponding to and engaging with the step for positioning the elastic member; the first weight includes a pair of sidewalls, and a pair of opposed engagement parts connecting with the sidewalls for forming a first through hole, the first magnet received in the first through hole.
 2. The vibration motor as described in claim 1, wherein a width of the engagement part along a vibration direction of the motor is smaller than a distance between the two sidewalls, and an avoidance is accordingly formed by the engagement part and the sidewall for preventing the first weight interfering with the coil assembly when the first weight vibrates.
 3. The vibration motor as described in claim 1, wherein the second weight includes a body, a first recess recessed from a lower surface of the body to a first bottom, a second recess recessed from the first bottom to a second bottom, and a second through hole formed in the second bottom for receiving the second magnet, the engagement part engages with the first bottom for fixing the first weight with the second weight.
 4. The vibration motor as described in claim 1, wherein the lower part, the middle part and the upper part of the coil support form cooperatively an accommodation space for receiving the first weight.
 5. The vibration motor as described in claim 3, wherein the upper part of the coil support and the coil is located in the second recess.
 6. The vibration motor as described in claim 1, wherein the upper part of the coil support further includes a carrying part for carrying the coil. 